Chapter 6-The "Death Star"

The ASA had been working on a weapon of mass destruction. A long time ago, a brave group of astronauts took the first manned mission to Mars, changing the world forever. Everyone looked up to them, especially to a boy named Chase, who was on that mission. In the 2040s, Chase also partook in a mission to colonize the moon. Once a system had been established up there, the settlement was named after him: Chaseville. The USA was proud to have civilians eventually living up there by the 2050s, as they were the only nation who had done it. This, of course, was just before the second revolutionary war that split the nation in two. Because the Allied States overall won this war, claiming the most territory, Chaseville went under their control. Ever since it became part of the Allied States, it also became a stronghold for their military. Satellite station defenses were a dying concept, as the real weaponry was now on the moon. Further, the ASA had been working for years on a project that could wreak mass destruction. Just like the Death Star in the Star Wars movies, they had built a laser-based weapon on the moon's surface that would fire towards the earth at their desired location. It was limited, of course, as the weapon would have to align with its target based on the phase of the moon and rotation cycle. It was able to move several miles vertically or horizontally, but there were only certain times of the year in which the ASA could fire on their enemies if needed and if the rotation cycle allowed. The time in which the provinces would be in its line of fire was approaching, which worried Huxley, the Commander in Chief. "Ladies and gentlemen," he began at another meeting with top officials, Mary Anne, and I, "the status of the war against the states appears to be mostly in our favor." It had been 1 month since the war began. I was now eighteen years old, and Mary Ann was only a month from being eighteen as well. There had been mostly a stalemate at the countries' border, as neither side was very successful in claiming territory, but we had had minimal civilian casualties so far since the Charleston Massacre. "However," Huxley continued, "there is a new threat on our horizon, quite literally. As you know, the states have completed a weapon capable of mass destruction, one able to wipe out entire cities in minutes. If you look at the hologram, you'll see the phases of the moon." On the projection, a chart displaying the moon's rotation cycle appeared. The pictures displayed a detailed chart of the location of Chaseville and the laser weapon nearby. The chart indicated a direct line of potential fire that would hit the provinces. "On August 25, as indicated, this is the first day of its rotation cycle that the weapon has potential to strike our nation. If our astronomers have calculated correctly, this weapon is faced to fire on our nation, with its epicenter just ten miles away from Bangor, Maine, a military stronghold as well as a populous city. We do not know how far the damage can go, but we cannot assume that it couldn't affect New Boston as well. The whole New England area could be at risk for this weapon's potential strike. On September 13, the weapon will be able to strike near Atlanta, Florgia. Now that the weapon is complete, we cannot risk the fact that they may use it against us. We would perform another infiltration procedure into their system to shut off the weapon, but that would only be a temporary solution. If they weren't planning on using it before that, we would have created noise where there didn't need to be noise, creating more risk of them using it against us. This is why we need a team to travel up there and destroy it. The best way of doing so is using time travel devices capable of location teleportation. Our small handheld devices used for emergency getaways are not capable of traveling distances that far. So, we will provide larger, more powerful devices for our agents. Elijah, Mary Anne, you will partake in this dangerous mission, as you are both adept and ready to take the next step in liberating the states. Of course, you will be accompanied by two other specially trained strategists, Brandon and Rose, who have already been briefed." Mary Anne's eyes opened wide, and she perked up with a smile on her face. Apparently she knew them. Right then, a man and a woman both in their early thirties walked in. They were very nicely dressed, dressed as if they were secret agents at a fancy party. Although both of them looked very fit and committed to serving, both had pleasant smiles on their faces. "Hello, everyone," the man said, "it is an honor to be here and to serve on this next mission. I am Brandon." Next, the woman said, "And I am Rose. Thank you, Mr. President, for selecting us to work with you." "Why, of course. You two are my top agents, and I'd rather have no one else. Now, I know you two already know Mary Anne, as you have worked with her before, but allow me to introduce to you Elijah," Huxley said. "Hello!" Rose said with a ginormous smile. Her energy and affection already made me feel as if she was a family member. "We've heard so much about you, and we are beyond excited to work with a brave soul such as you." Brandon added, "We already know and love Mary Anne, and we can't wait to get to know you. Welcome to the family." He nudged me on the shoulder in a friendly way. Family? Brandon and Rose began to hold each other's hand. I could see that they were both wed because of their rings. They were a lovely couple. Mary Anne chimed in, giggling, "Mom and Dad, I missed you." Mary Anne had told me her parents were no longer around, and every time I asked her about what happened, she would act sensitive and either change the subject or say she didn't want to talk about it. It troubled me to know she had a dark past, but it made me happy to know she had people in her life that were as close to her as family. If she was happy, I was happy. "Meet me tomorrow at noon for a briefing on your tasks for this mission, Elijah and Mary Anne. For now, please, allow me to pay for dinner for all of you to get acquainted as a team," Huxley stated. We all thanked him and walked to a cab together. After a fine meal full of laughter and deep life stories, I felt very happy and excited to work with Brandon and Rose. They almost reminded me of Rob and Susan, as both couples were young, intelligent, and caring. I thought about them every day, wondering what they were doing. I now had no idea what they thought about me, but I feared they now hated me.

That night, I was preparing to get in bed when I heard a knock on my door. It was Mary Anne. "Hey," she said, "can I talk to you?" I could tell she was bothered by something. We both sat on the windowsill in my living room that had a view of the city. "It was wrong of me to not tell you about what really happened to my parents. Meeting Brandon and Rose reminded me of that and placed a burden on my shoulders," she started to say after a moment of awkward silence. "No, Mary Anne, I know it's a sensitive topic for you, and I never want to pry," I said, reassuringly. "I know, but it's unfair for you for me to hide a very important part of my life like that, especially hiding it from you. I don't tell hardly anyone, but it's time you know," Mary Anne said with her head bowed. "Almost two years ago, my parents decided to go explore southern Florgia. Ever heard of Zone S?" "No, not particularly," I said. "It is a zone located in parts of Mexico and the southernmost point of Florgia. The gulf of Mexico became extremely toxic due to failed experiments and a submerged city full of pollutants. Some of the land around it, Mexico and Florgia, became uninhabitable, as the air was toxic, and the ozone layer dissolved, leaving the land scorched. However, there were also many mysteries in this part of Florgia waiting to be discovered. My parents went out there with protective suits and all sorts of gear to survey the soil, water, and air to see if it would soon become habitable again. With a small motorized boat, they went out into the swamplands just by the gulf near the abandoned city of Orlando. After two weeks of being there, they went completely dark. I began to worry when they had gone a whole day without messaging me. I tried calling them multiple times every day, but they never responded, and neither could I locate them. The police tried to go out and search for them, but they were unsuccessful. I was only just turning sixteen, and I was left to live in the world without my parents. There I was in the north Florgia mountains, all alone for weeks, hoping they would at any minute walk back in the door. I waited. But they never came." Tears began to roll down Mary Anne's eyes as she continued to speak. "That's how I ended up here working for the WPA in New Boston. I had to drop out of high school to be able to work. I had no other option but to find a job and make a life for myself. That's also what I find so attractive about you. Our stories are so similar." Mary Anne smiled and reached for my hands. "Thank you for sharing that with me. I'm always here for you, and I'm so glad we know each other," I said. Mary Anne's smile became weak as she drew her hands back to her side and turned her eyes back out the window. "I know they're still out there somewhere. I feel it," she said sullenly. "One day, I'm gonna go out there myself and find them and bring them home." She didn't really think that they were still alive after two years, did she? They went silent and haven't been found. Maybe she didn't want to admit they had died a long time ago, but I didn't want to crush her. I smiled at her, helped her off the windowsill, and walked her back to her apartment.

The next day, at noon, Mary Anne and I met in the president's meeting room once again. "Thank you for being here today," Huxley began. "Our top war strategists have come up with a plan for infiltration into their weapon base to destroy the laser. We have the exact coordinates of the initial site where you will teleport. You will be given silenced weapons, which you hopefully will not have to use. The most complicated part of the mission will be to plant explosives all over the weapon. For this portion of the mission, you will need space suits since you will be exposed to the open surface. Chaseville and most of the military base is under a dome that provides a habitable atmosphere and comfortable gravity level. This weapon is just on the outside of it. So, here in these bags are all you will need." He pulled out two large backpacks and handed them to us. Inside there were a bunch of disc-like devices in there as well as a folded up suit and helmet, which were probably the space suits. "Careful with those…" Huxley said hastily, "...those are the explosives you will be planting on the weapon. Each of you has five, so you'll be planting a total of twenty. Make sure they are evenly spaced out and that you are back here before they detonate. The explosions should not destroy the dome that contains civilians in it, so it should only damage the laser beyond repair. Today, we are going to acclimate all of you to a low gravity environment. That being said, you will now head back to the WPA. Go at once to level twenty-five, west wing, door 254. There, you will meet Brandon and Rose and partake in brief low gravity training. Tomorrow, you will meet at the WPA courtyard in the Center City Plaza at 8:00 sharp. Thank you, and be on your way."

Mary Anne and I took our backpacks and headed back to the WPA. I could now almost walk between there and the president's home with my eyes closed. When we arrived at door 254 in the west wing, Brandon and Rose eagerly awaited us. They, too, possessed space suits that they were holding in their arms. "Hey, guys," Rose said, "let's get our suits on and begin the simulation!" We followed them in the doors to see a massive room with weird metal structures all around the walls. In the center, a console was on a circular platform surrounded by a yellow line. Brandon started to put his suit on, so we all followed. The suits were quite strange: they were thin, but I could tell the technology allowed for heavy insulation. They allowed for more mobility while maintaining survivability on the open surface on the moon. I guess these were specifically made for combat. Rose went over to the console and began to press a few buttons. "Alright, guys, get ready. Gravity is about to get weird." I heard a series of puffs and hums coming from the walls. Rose stepped outside the yellow line to join us. All of a sudden, I felt extremely light as if someone was holding me by my shoulders and attempting to lift me up. I started to walk around, but it felt very different. I was taking larger steps and flying higher in the air. Mary Anne, Brandon, and Rose all began to walk around to get accustomed to the low gravity. "Once we get used to it, we're going to begin our combat training," Brandon said. He walked over to the console and began to press a few buttons. I could tell that anywhere inside the yellow line was not affected by the gravity change because Brandon fell pretty quickly once he stepped inside. A bunch of small barriers came from out of the floor once he finished pressing more buttons. A hologram appeared above the center, providing a countdown to the beginning of the combat simulation. Rose walked over to a table at the end of the room and grabbed four guns. They were, of course, not loaded with real bullets because they would damage the room, but they were made to combat the virtual opponents. The simulation began, and after several attempts, we all as a team eliminated all the opponents without taking any hits. We were a fabulous squad.

The next morning, I woke up at 6:30 to allow plenty of time to prepare for the mission. I took a long shower followed by eating a nutritious breakfast. I made sure all the items--my space suit, sidearm, stun gun, bombs, and time traveling unit were all in the pack. I connected the unit to my iHolo so that all I had to do was initiate the warp through my device. The WPA had programmed exact coordinates for the moon and back for us so that we wouldn't have to figure that out ourselves. It was 7:30, and I walked over to Mary Anne's apartment to make sure she was ready to go. I was greeted by a peck on the cheek and a cute smile. We both hastily made our way to the courtyard, holding hands all the way down. It was a cool, moist morning, and out in the main courtyard, rows of chairs were set out, all filled with the highest WPA officials as well as ranked military officers. In the front, two massive projection screens faced the courtyard. Two guards at the gated entrance signaled for us to enter. We still had not yet seen Brandon or Rose. The courtyard was silent, and the only sounds heard were the nearby sounds of busy New Boston traffic. Mary Anne and I walked across the center of the field and made our way to the front, where we could now see that Dr. Radcliffe, President Huxley, Brandon, and Rose were all awaiting us. All of them had serious looks on them as they firmly stood in place. It was 7:57, just three minutes before leaving the planet. I never expected any of the past few months of my life to happen, but I wouldn't have in a million years thought I was going to the moon. Only the elite lived there. "Brandon, Rose, Elijah, Mary Anne," Huxley began, "I wish you the best of luck. Remember, get in there, plant the bombs on the weapon, set the timer, and hurry out of there. Avoid casualties if at all possible. We will be eagerly awaiting your return." With that, we initiated the travelling sequence on our iHolos. When I pressed launch, I could feel a rumbling in my backpack. I was already beginning to sweat in the spacesuit. I was holding the helmet by my side firmly, slightly trembling in fear of what would be on the other side. Our devices began to synchronously count down from ten. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one… All of my surroundings disappeared in a bright flash. I felt like every particle of my body had been scattered across the plane of space and time continuum, in which they probably had been. What seemed like forever later, the team and I ended up in a dark corridor. The walls were metal with a few large numbers and letters painted on them. After a few seconds of heavy breathing, with Rose to be the first to gain composure again, she pulled up a holographic map. "Okay," she began, "we are in section D-3 of the complex. If we head left, we should be at the edge of the building as well as the dome. There should be an airlocked exit to the right that will lead to the weapon on the open surface. A tenth of a mile down this hall, we will be at risk for exposure to the ASA. Proceed with caution." The hall made our footsteps echo. We could also hear a slight rumbling as well as the vents, which made everything more ominous. We could see a brighter light at the end of the hall, but as we walked towards it, it seemed as if we were getting nowhere. Were we really on the moon? It sure didn't feel like it. When we approached the end of the hall, we could hear chattering and footsteps to the right of us. Brandon whispered, "There should be a doorway thirty feet to our right. That's where we exit the complex." I peered around the corner to see one person walking in the opposite direction. I could also see a big metal door with two hexagonal windows beside it. I couldn't see anything out of them yet because of the angle we were at. Rose scanned around us to make sure the coast was clear. However, once we began to creep towards the exit, we heard a crowd of people coming from another hallway parallel to us and across from the exit door. We quickly ran back into the hallway we came from and rushed into the janitorial closet, silently closing it as quickly as possible. Just seconds later, the crowd of people walked by the door. When we thought it was clear once more, we began to hear voices. Two people were having a conversation that we couldn't quite make out, but it went on for a while.

It was almost twelve o'clock, and there were still people directly outside the janitorial closet. We were all dripping sweat. Mary Anne was heavily breathing and was beginning to feel dizzy. We needed to get out of there. Brandon had contacted those in the WPA plaza letting them know of our status. We had almost decided to abort the mission when all of a sudden a bell chimed over the intercom. Lunch break. We all quietly sighed a breath of relief and snuck out of the closet when there was no more noise outside. We took a few seconds to catch our breaths, and then we secured our helmets as we prepared to go outside. As Rose started punching a series of buttons at the door, Mary Anne and I walked up to the window to see the beautiful dunes and craters of the moon's surface. It was kind of blurred since the window was thick, and the edge of the dome was just a few yards away, but it was still breathtaking to see. "I know it's hard, guys," Brandon began, "but try to focus on the tasks once we go outside. If we win this war, I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities to come back here on a much happier occasion." He was right--we needed to focus, as millions of lives were at stake. The doors puffed and opened up quickly after. "Everyone, get in. Quickly!" Rose said. We hurried inside as the doors closed. A computer's voice sounded, saying "Depressurizing." It sounded like air was leaking out of a balloon as the cabin depressurized. A few seconds later, I felt that same feeling of being extremely light as the outside doors opened up. We all followed Brandon as he led us out onto the moon's surface. Now, we could see our objective. A huge, cylindrical metal object at least a quarter mile tall and a hundred yards wide was on a massive track of metal that went vertically and horizontally. This intimidating piece of technology did, indeed, look as if it was capable of mass destruction. We quickly leaped over the dunes to get to the weapon. Everything was going smoothly so far, thankfully. "Everyone, grab your explosives. It's time to plant these bad boys," Brandon said. "Alright, so since there are four of us, let's equally spread out and place the explosives on the weapon in our locations," Rose said. She showed a holographic map of the weapon from underneath that indicated where to place the explosives. Alright, that didn't look too difficult. The only hard part would be to grapple onto something so that we could reach the weapon. As quickly as possible, we grabbed our grappling hooks. Rose shot hers first to demonstrate the best place to hook on. We all followed her lead on each end of the weapon, allowing the hook to pull us up. I held tightly to the explosives with one hand and ensured my gun was still in my side belt clip. I was heavily breathing and sweating in my suit. My helmet started to fog up as I began to breathe heavier. I took a minute to calm down and let the fog disappear from my view, and then I got to work, placing the explosives on the belly of this beast.

Although we would teleport out of there, we would need to get a safe distance from the weapon before initiating the countdown to the explosion in case anything with our teleportation devices went awry. As we began to grapple back down, an alarm from the complex blared. Oh no, we had been detected. Rose came in on our intercoms in the suit, yelling, "Grab your weapon and get to cover!" We could see dozens of armed officials running through the hallway and into the exit. We didn't have much time, and the descent on the grappling hooks was far too slow to be able to get to cover in time. Brandon yelled for us to cut loose from them and drop. I did so, and I slowly fell to the ground, kicking up moon dust. Just then, the doors opened up, and dozens of ASA troops began shooting at us. Thankfully, we had all found dunes to hide behind where we had dropped from the ends of the weapon. I could see Brandon peeking over the dune and shooting back at the troops. I could see an explosion of air from their space suits followed by drops of blood slowly falling to the ground as Brandon's gunshots pierced them. Rose began to speak, saying, "We can't safely get far away from this before setting the explosives off. We're going to have to risk it by setting off the timer and leaving now! Everyone, initiate teleportation sequ--OW!" I could hear a popping sound through the intercom. "Rose, are you okay?" Mary Anne shouted. "Yeah--" Rose's voice was mostly covered by a hissing air sound. "I've been grazed a little. We need to leave, now." I hurriedly went to my iHolo and initiated our travel back. Rose set the timer for the explosives, and our surroundings disappeared into a white flash once more. A few seconds later, we were back on the WPA plaza. Everyone's eyes were glued to the screens in front of us as I looked around to orient myself. I could see Brandon and Mary Anne running over to Rose as she clenched her arm. On the screen, there was an up-close view of the moon, and on it, we could see the dome and the weapon next to it. The countdown timer below read twenty seconds. Everyone was on the edge of their seats as the final seconds ticked down. What if they had disarmed them? No way. They couldn't if they tried. If they knew what we did, they would be running right about now. Five, four, three, two, one… It was completely silent for a few seconds. When I thought all had failed, a huge explosion blew apart the laser. It sent chills down my spine to see that as everyone stood up to cheer. We had done it. We blew up a space weapon with minimal injuries. I relaxed my muscles and sighed a breath of relief. Huxley came around to each one of us and congratulated us individually. The smile on his face was huge. We had just saved millions of lives and were even closer to winning this war. It hadn't gone on for long, but we were all hoping for a quick and clean end to the WCO, and we were on the right path.

That night, after a fabulous dinner with the president, Mary Anne and I sat on the roof of the WPA high rise, staring at the night sky. Above, we could faintly see the moon and the dust and debris floating out into space from it. It truly was fascinating to see that--that we did that, just four of us. "You think Rose will be better soon?" I asked. "Yeah, she's really tough. She'll be back in the field again before you know it," Mary Anne said as she smiled and grabbed my hand. I began to caress her hand in response. "You know, I'm really glad I did end up joining you. I don't know what my life would be like if I had left you and gone back to the WCO. I mean, Rob and Susan meant a lot to me, and they still do, but there's nowhere I'd rather be than here with you," I said. I meant that, too. However, I still couldn't help but think about Rob and Susan and my previous life because everyone I knew, although not many, was watching me very closely. I could feel it.